Chapel Amble Bridge

As part of an Environment Agency project to create a man-made flood plain for wildlife to flourish, a farmer's access to several fields was going to be cut off, hence a bridge was required to provide access for farm vehicles. Eadon Consulting carried out the bridge structure design calculations for a 10m span access bridge on behalf of TEMA Engineering Ltd. The bridge is a multi-girder deck consisting of 4 main girders aligned with the span direction of the bridge, supporting a deck of greenheart timber cross beams.

The steel beam and connection design was carried out in accordance with Eurocode 3 (BS EN 1993-2 Design of steel structures – Steel bridges), and loading was assessed using BD 21/01 (The assessment of highway bridges and structures) and BD 37/01 (Loads for highway bridges). The Eurocode was not used for the bridge loading as the bridge is for private access and has a weight restriction of only 7.5 tonnes. This reduced loading limit is not accounted for in the Eurocode, hence to avoid overdesign we used the alternative codes.

In addition to the main bridge steelwork design Eadon Consulting were also responsible for the design of the hand railing and it's connections, and providing the fabricator with a bearing schedule and bearing recommendations.